Improvement in breech-loading pistols



s. M. PERRY.

Breech-Loading Fire-Arm Patented "June 21. 1864 MFETERS, FaOTO-LITHDGRAF HER. WASHINGTON. D

ilNiED SAMUEL M. PERRY, or BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD s. -RENWIGK.

, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LQADING PISTOLS.

Specification forming part of Letteis Patent No. 43,260, dated June 21, 1864.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. SAMUEL M. PERRY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a side view of a pistol. embodying my improvements with the cheekpieces of the lock-frame removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the same at the axis of. the bore and with the movable breecl1- stopper inplace. Fig. 3represents atop View of the pistol. Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section of a part of the same at the axis of the bore. Fig. 5 represents a side view of the movable breech-stopper removed fromthe firearm. Fig. 6 represents a View of the butt of the same, and Fig. 7 represents aside View of a copper cartridge suitable for being fired from the pistol.

My invention relates to fire-arms having swinging barrels adapted to the use of a metallic cartridge; and the object of the first part of my invention is to enable the barrel to be easily turned out of line with the breech-piece after firing. When a charge is fired from a metallic cartridge-case, the butt of the case takes the form of the abutment or breech-piece that supports it; hence in that class of firearms in which the barrel is constructed to swing on apivot crosswise to its length to open the breech difficulty has been experienced in turning the barrel after firing from the binding of the cartridgecase against its abutment. In order to obviate this difficulty, some manufacturers have made the abutment to incline to the axis of the bore. Others have formed it like a segment of a cylinder of which the pivot is the axis. Both these plans are objectionable, because, as the butt of the cartridge is a plane surface and perpendicular to the axis of the bore, such abutments do not support the rim of the butt of the cartridge around its periphery.

The first part of my invention obviates the aforesaid difficulty, and at the same time furnishes an abutment which sustains the rim of the butt of the cartridge at all points. It consists in combining the swinging barrel with a cup-formed abutment, or, in other words, with one which has the form of a segment of a hollow sphere.

The object of the second part of my invention is to secure the swinging barrel of a firearm more effectually to its stock or lock-frame; and it consists in combining the barrel and lockframe by means of a ccunterbored hub on one and an internal hub on the other, so that a large amount of surface is obtained to sustain the shock of the discharge.

Both parts of my invention are embodied in the pistol represented in the accompanying drawings. The barrel A of this pistol is constructed to swing crosswise to its longitudinal axis on a pivot, B, and is also chambered at each end, so that it is double-headed and can be loaded alternately at its opposite ends, which are used alternately to receive the cartridges. The lock-frame G contains the hammer D and its appurtenances, and also a spring catch, a, which holds the barrel in place when the charge is to be fired. The part d of this 1ock-frame,which is opposite the open end of the barrel, forms the abutment of the cartridge. It is curved transversely to the line of the bore in all directions, so as to form a shallow cup-shaped. cavity, the best form of this cavity with which I am acquainted being a segment of the sphere of which the center is the point e of intersection of the axis of the bore and the axis of the pivot-screw B of the barrel. From this forin'it results that the surface of the butt of the barrel against which the flange of the cartridge rests may be at right angles to the line of the bore; and when a cartridge such as is represented at Fig. 7, is applied tothe barrel, the curvature of the cup-formed abutment permits the cartridge to be moved easily into the line of fire by the movement of the barrel on its pivot, and when the cartridge is in place the whole of its rim is supported equally at the rear by the abutment, while the whole of the front of its flange is supported equally by the barrel. When the charge is fired, the butt of the cartridge is pressed by the force of the explosion against the cup-formed abutment, and is swaged there by into a spherical form, and as all the horizontal sections of this abutment are circular curves of which the axis of the pivot of the barrel is the center, no obstacle but friction is opposed to the movement of the discharged cartridge case by turning the barrel 011 its pivot. As the entire rim of the cartridge will be equally supported, the invention permits the employment of a cartridge of large diameter, which it has thus far not been deemed expedient to use in fire-arms with swinging barrels.

In using cartridge-pistols in places at dis tances from large cities, it not unfrequently happens that the supply of cartridges becomes exhausted. The pistol thereupon becomes useless until anew supply of cartridges can be obtained, although there would be no difiiculty in obtaining an abundant supply of ordinary powder, balls, and percussion-cups. I11 order to render my pistols useful under such circumstances, Iprovide each with a movable breech-stopper, G, whose exterior is of the size and form of the butt of the cartridge, Fig. 7, used in the fire-arm. This breechstopper has a cone, 8, at its butt adapted to receive an ordinary percussion-cap, and the hammer D of the fire-arm has a thin edge, 1', adapted to strike either the rim of a cartridge, when in the chamber of the fire-arm, or a percussion-cap upon the cone of the breech-stopper; hence when the supply of cartridges is exhausted the user can apply the breech-stopper and load the pistol from the muzzle with ordinary powder and ball.

In order that the barrel may be held securely to the lock-frame, the latter is fitted with a hub, Z, which enters a socket formed in the barrel; and in order to furnish increased resistance to the strain produced by firing the charge, the hubZ is counterbored, as seen in section at Fig. 2, so as to receive a correspond ing tubular hub, t, which projects into the hub of the frame, so that a much larger surface is afiorded than could be obtained with a single hub of the same length and diameter.

The two hubs are traversed by a pivotscrew, B, which prevents the barrel from rising at the turning-point. In order to prevent the barrel from rising at the lock-frame,a projecting snug, w, is secured thereto in such a position to overlap a notch, :0, formed in the adjacent end of the barrel, and as the barrel is double-chambered each of its ends is notched, so that whichever end is acting as the breech is prevented from rising. The projection w is in this instance placed in such position that the face of the hammer must pass through it to strike the cartridge; hence the projection is slotted at Fig. 3. An equivalent projection might, however, be secured to the lock-frame out of the range of the hammer, provided the notches at the two ends of the barrel were properly arranged to engage with it.

Having thus described a double-headed pistol embodying both parts of my invention, it

is proper to state that the first and second parts of my invention are not restricted to double-headed fire-arms, but only to fire-arms whose barrels swing on pivots located in advance of the abutment on the stock or look frame.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

.1. The combination ofa barrel swinging on a pivot in advance of the abutment of the lockframe with a cup-formed abutment to sustain the cartridge, the combination operating substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the swinging barrel of a fire-arm with the lock-frame or stock by means of a counterbored hub on the one and a smaller hub on the other, the two operating substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

S. M. PERRY.

W'itnesses:

E. GODDARD, E. S. PENWICK. 

